The Bromeliad Plant

There are over 3000 species of the Bromeliad Plant, from the pineapple plant to succulent plants and even Spanish Moss.

Bromeliad Plant in Wicker – 2067

The Bromeliad is mostly found in South America with the most varieties found in Brazil. Because of its ability to flourish in dry to desert like climates, to the rainforest and even in mountainous regions, they grow from South America all the way to northern Virginia.

The Bromeliad only flowers once. But don’t despair…. Once your plant has grown all its leaves and is finished flowering it will start producing “babies”- called plantlets, offsets or pups. The Mother plant will survive a couple generations then she will die off. The little plant babies grow out at the base of the plant and will feed off the Mother until it has grown its own roots and can then be replanted to thrive on its own. Kind of like your kids….but these pups aren’t allowed to come back and live with their Mother after college! 🙂

Very popular house plant in Hawaii, seen at City Mill, Hawaii Kai

At first, they said the Bromeliad was only suitable for greenhouses but because of its ease at adapting to home conditions it is becoming more popular. It’s best to grow your Bromeliad in well draining soil but the Bromeliad can also be grown mounted on boards and logs. When it comes to watering your plant it is recommended that you water the soil weekly in the growing season and less water in the winter months, as this is the rest period for the plant. If your plant is mounted it will require watering more often and throughout the year. It is not necessary to water the central cup in regular household climate. This is only necessary in a desert-like environment.

If you are trying to get your Bromeliad to flower, here is a tip that might work. Place your Bromeliad and an apple in a plastic bag together for 10 days. The apple will produce ethylene gas while decomposing which is said to help with the blooming process. Be sure there is no water in the central cup before attempting this.